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About John Farrell

John Farrell directs the Energy Self-Reliant States and Communities program at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and he focuses on energy policy developments that best expand the benefits of local ownership and dispersed generation of renewable energy. More

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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 2 Comments | Updated on Nov 27, 2012

Going Local Gives More Value to Solar Power

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/grid-solar-power/

Update: you can now read the whole essay – Wide-scale Implementation of Solar Power I just read an essay by a Canadian utility executive arguing that solar is the most economic energy source, and he systematically dismantles the notion that “cheap baseload coal” is more competitive that solar electricity. First: Solar is Cheaper Than Coal… Continue reading

JF eTopia News interview screenshot
Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 1 Comment | Updated on Nov 20, 2012

The Future of Energy is Democratic

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/future-energy-democratic/

eTopia, November 19, 2012 An eTopia News interview with ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell.  John describes how renewable energy, by its nature, decentralizes the generation of energy and that the dispersion of power generation means local ownership is a natural complement to renewable energy, expanding both its economic and political impact. Click below to watch… Continue reading

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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Nov 15, 2012

Community-Owned Transmission?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/community-owned-transmission/

The enormous growth in local renewable energy is decentralizing the electricity system, often supplanting energy from centralized power plants.  But not all renewable energy is built locally, even in a country like Germany with massive local ownership of its renewable energy systems.  The Germans are undergoing significant upgrades to their electricity grid as they push… Continue reading

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ILSR Press Room filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Nov 15, 2012

In Germany, Everyone Can Be an Energy Producer

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/germany-energy-producer/

Inside Climate News, November 15, 2012 The Abbey of St. Peter in the Black Forest has had its ups and downs since its founding in 1090. It burned to the ground in 1238. It was rebuilt, only to be destroyed by fire in 1437, establishing a pattern that would be repeated for several centuries. In… Continue reading

Clean Break cover
Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 1 Comment | Updated on Nov 14, 2012

Clean Break Inspires Americans to Pursue “Energy Change”

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/clean-break-inspires-americans-pursue-energy-change/

Friend and renewable energy journalist Osha Gray Davidson released a book today called Clean Break, detailing the German Energiewende (translation: energy change).  It’s a story of how the Germans systematically shifted to clean energy, finding as they proceeded that the possibilities were greater, the costs lower, and the benefits for ordinary citizens more prodigious than… Continue reading

John Farrell
Featured Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 2 Comments | Updated on Nov 9, 2012

Finding Value in Distributed Generation, Before it Finds You

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/finding-distributed-generation-finds/

ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell is giving this presentation to a collaborative meeting of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the National Association of Regulatory Commissioners (NARUC) this weekend.  It highlights the proven value of distributed solar to utility grid systems and the urgent need for regulators and utilities to incorporate this value into… Continue reading

Missing Piece Presentation Cover
Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Nov 1, 2012

The Missing Piece in the Clean Local Energy Transformation

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/missing-piece-clean-local-energy-transformation/

A presentation by ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell explores how decentralized biogas production could provide a key piece of the future, renewable electricity system.  Given Oct. 29, 2012, in St. Louis to the Biocycle Annual Conference. The Missing Piece in Clean Local Energy from John Farrell   Continue reading

Rooftop Solar PV installation
Featured Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 2 Comments | Updated on Oct 31, 2012

What Utilities Can Do for Distributed Solar

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/utilities-distributed-solar/

Last week the Minnesota Public Utility Commission had a rare live public comment period on Xcel Energy’s long term planning process (called an Integrated Resource Plan).  At the urging of several fellow clean energy advocates, I gave my 3 minute testimony about the enormous gulf between Xcel’s 10-year plan for solar power and the solar… Continue reading

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ILSR Press Room filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Oct 26, 2012

Looking to the future, Xcel betting on natural gas, hydro

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/future-xcel-betting-natural-gas-hydro/

Midwest Energy News, October 26, 2012 As energy market forces continue to shift, Minnesota’s largest utility now foresees meeting modestly growing electricity needs primarily with natural gas and hydropower imported from Canada. Xcel Energy, which serves about 1.4 million customers in Minnesota, has filed major revisions to its latest long-range plan twice since 2010. The… Continue reading

Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Oct 22, 2012

The Incredible Incompetence of Comcast

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/incredible-incompetence-comcast/

My colleague writes a good-as-any explanation of why we’re not getting quite as much energy work done in the past week as we’d like. What happens when economies of scale are taken to ridiculous proportions? The wretched customer service of Comcast, AT&T, Etc. We recently had to move our Institute for Local Self-Reliance office within… Continue reading